Leave Rebecca Black Alone

By now, everyone knows who Rebecca Black is. And those who don’t are probably not actually reading my blog anyway. But I find it slightly disturbing by the amount of hate being thrown in this young girl’s direction. She’s only 13 years old, after all. And if this were any other 13-year-old, some of the things being said about her online would result in those people getting arrested for harassing a child.

I, personally, have made one comment about the horrible song we’ve all heard by now, “Friday,” as well as the overuse of auto-tune on the track. But this is not Rebecca Black’s fault.

If we’re going to be angry with anyone, it should be the music “production” company (and I’m using these terms lightly) that “produced” and “wrote” this track. This would be Ark Music Factory.

This is one of those companies that takes advantage of anyone who will pay up, basically. And after doing some research (and I partially blame Rebecca Black’s parents because they should have known better), I discovered that Ark Music Factory was paid $2000 to record the song and make the video we’ve all seen.

$2000!!! Not only is this company preying upon young girls, but also their clueless parents.

And apparently, from the looks of the Ark Music Factory website, they do this a lot. They promise these kids stardom and fame in return for loads of cash being thrown their way. And I’m sure they tell all of their kids that they’re talented singers, even if they can’t carry a tune.

As someone who works in the music industry, I’m disgusted. I know this is hardly a new scam and I have seen these things run rampant in the entertainment industry. But it still bothers me that there are people in this world that fall for this sort of thing.

But, of course, now, because of Rebecca Black’s popularity, this company is probably going to make millions off of unsuspecting kids and their parents. WAY TO GO, INTERNET!

But back to my original point (there is one, I promise!). Saying horrible things about a 13-year-old kid is not only immature and awful, but also misplaced, in this particular instance. And in the end, all of the negative attention has made her a super star. Again, way to go internet. I only hope that she can turn this around and maybe actually show us that she has some talent. If not, I’m sure there’s a reality show in her near future.

If you want to say mean, hurtful things, aim them at her parents and Ark Music Factory, though. Leave the poor kid alone.

By the way, I’d like to give kudos to Rebecca because in every interview I’ve seen her in, she’s managed to rise above the negativity. And at 13, with the sorts of things being said about her, that is brave.